Easy Marinara Sauce

Photo by Andrew Davis

You probably have your own idea of what a great marinara sauce should be. Or, you at least know someone who has an old, and usually secret, family recipe. If you don’t, it’s better late then never.

A great marinara sauce recipe is to a chef what a pen is to a great writer. Sure, they could use a keyboard, and they’ll probably finish faster, but it’s never going to feel quite the same. The same way that jarred sauce is never really going to hold a candle to the flavor of the one you’re about to make.

At this point in this post, if you do have an old family marinara sauce recipe, you should share this delicious secret with me below in the comments section.

I’ll wait…

Now that that’s out-of-the-way, let’s get back to business.

While marinara sauce is traditionally a simple tomato sauce with garlic, oil and sometimes onions, you’ll also find recipes with ingredients like carrots, celery or even seafood such as anchovies (possibly because “marinara” comes from the Italian phrase “alla marinara”, or “sailor-style”).

With so many variations, it can be easy to lose sight of the real, home-made pleasure that comes with making this versatile sauce. Which is why I’m bringing you this simple marinara sauce recipe to add to your cooking arsenal. Trust me, you’ll never want to buy a jar of sauce again.

Before you begin, let’s take a look at some tips to making the perfect marinara sauce every time…

Ingredient timing is crucial.

If you’re adding dried herbs, add them at the beginning of the recipe. If you’re adding fresh herbs, add them towards the end of the recipe, about 10 minutes before you take the sauce off of the heat. If you’re adding onions, saute them with the oil and garlic for a few minutes before you add the tomatoes. These things all matter when it comes to your finished sauce’s flavor.

Use a large pot,

Seriously. I’m not kidding here. Even if you’re not making that big of a batch. The sauce can spit while it’s cooking, and a larger pot will help avoid a mess.

You’ll thank me when you’re not scrubbing sauce off of the stove all night. 

Sugar can help.

Sometimes.

If it’s off-season for tomatoes, they may taste too acidic. Adding a pinch of sugar to your marinara sauce recipe can help balance the overall savory flavor. If you’re using canned tomatoes, like the ones this recipe calls for, you probably won’t have to worry about acidity.

Use good wine.

A general rule of thumb is to never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink by itself. If you’re adding wine to your sauce make sure you like the flavor, or you won’t like it in the food, either. In the words of Julia Child, “I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food.”

Simmer that sauce.

Keep an eye on the heat when you’re making this recipe. You want the sauce to stay on a nice simmer, not a boil. If you start seeing big bubbles or a lot of spitting, turn the heat down. You want the tomatoes to be cooked as the sauce begins to thicken. If you cook the marinara sauce too hot, the seeds in the tomatoes can become bitter, and even sugar might not fix that.

And without further adieu, I give you my Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe!

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Easy Marinara Sauce

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

This thick and savory marinara sauce will make you never want to open another jar of store-bought sauce again. While this recipe uses dried herbs, you can always use fresh herbs instead. You can make this ahead of time and freeze for later, and it cooks up in only 30 minutes.

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 171 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 can crushed tomatoes 28oz
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes 28oz
• 1 can tomato paste 6oz
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 medium onion vidalia
• 2 tbsp basil dried
• 2 tbsp oregano dried
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onion and garlic. Saute until onions are tender and starting to turn brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add basil, oregano, salt and pepper to sauteed onions and stir. Then add white wine and stir all ingredients together.
3. Pour in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir all ingredients together until combined.
4. Bring all ingredients to a simmer and reduce heat to low-medium. Continue simmering the sauce for 20-25 minutes. If it begins to boil, reduce heat to low.

Recipe Notes

**Nutrition Per 1 Serving**

Nutrition Facts

Easy Marinara Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 171 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Sodium 671mg29%

Potassium 808mg23%

Carbohydrates 21g7%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 1000IU20%

Vitamin C 29.7mg36%

Calcium 80mg8%

Iron 3.6mg20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.